Electric toy trackage



May 30, 1933. l.. G. HANDY ELECTRIC TOY TRACKAGE Original Filed SePt- 18. 1926 INVENTOR L essford Hand 'ATTORN EY ill. :u

r-HLmFIHHALIImIlHH HHUHHHHM Cul Patented May 30, 1933 @NETED STATES LEVIN GESSFORD HANDY, OF MOUNTAIN VIEW, NEW JERSEY ELECTRIC TOY TRACKAGE Original application led September 18, 1926, Serial No. 136,359, now Patent No.` 1,753,147, dated April 1,

1930. Divided and this application filed March 31, 1930.

This invention relates to trackage for toy electric trains, such for instance as is contained in my Patent No. 1,686,416, July 19th, 1927, and in my co-pending application Serial No. 136,359, liled Sept. 18, 1926, now Patent No. 1,753,147 dated Apr. 1, 1930, the present application b-eing division of said mentioned co-pending application.

Anobject of the present invention is to provide improved means whereby t-he passage of a train over a given section or sections of the track may be made to .control the operation of auxiliary devices such as signals and y the like.

A further obj-ect is to provide an electric toy track section intend-ed to be attached to orxrenioved from track forming. relation with other electric toy track sections in the usual T mannerhsaiid section being constructed to include improved means whereby the passage of a train over said section will complete a shunt circuit, 1n parallel with the train circuit, for controlling' one or more auxiliary devices.

A further object is to provide an electric` toy track section in which one of the wheel bearing rails is made to provide a contact to be engaged by the wheels of a passing train nos for controlling a shunt circuit in parallel e with the train circuit but in which necessity `for the use of insulating connecting means between said track rail and aligned rails of adjacent other toy track sections is dispensed i with.

A further object is to provide an electric toy track section in which one of the wheel bearing rails is made to provide a contact to be engaged by the wheels or" a passing train vfor controlling a Vshunt Vcircuit in parallel with the train circuit but 1n which a conducnot provide a conductive path through the section for that purpose.

A further obyect is to construct the contact so that it may be attached either permanentiv or removablyto one of the rails of the Serial No. 440,247.

electric toy section and so that the usual detachable conductor attaching clip may be usedv therewith for connecting a signal device or the like thereto.

A further object is to construct the contact part so that it will provide improved means by which the contact parts of two a-djacent electric toy sections may be electrically connected. v

Other objects and aims of the invention,

more or less specific than those ref-erred to i above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements oi parts and applications of principles kconstituting the invention; and the scope of protection contemplated will be indicated in the appended claims. f

In the accompanying drawing which is to be taken as a part of this specification, and in which I have shown merely a preferred form of embodiment of the invention Fig. l is a diagrammatic plan view of an electric toy track system employing sections of the type with which this invention is concerned.

Fig. 2 is a top plan viewof an improved toy track section constructed in accordance with Y this invention yand showing the same in operative association with aligned rails of adjacent other toy track sections.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken upon the plane of line III-III of Fig. 2. y

Fig. 4 is a similar sectional view but illustrating a modification of the contact part, and its connections, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view illustrating the ymanner of connecting together thecontact partsof the'electric toy sections.

Fig. 6 is similar to Fig. 4 but illustrating a y modilication.

Referring to the drawing for describing in detail the structure illustrated therein, the reference characters L and G indicate the two metallic wheel bearing rails of an electric toy track section, and the reference characterv I-I indicates the intermediate or third metallic rail of said section. These three separate rails are connected together by cross tie means, such as the three metallic cross ties 1, 2 and 3 as illustrated.

The intermediate or third7 rail is insulated from the other rails and from the cross ties by insulating members 4 4-4 as is cus tomary.

The wheel bearing rails L and G as shown are not insulated from the cross ties. They are held in metallic contact with said cross ties as by means of the tangs 5 5 provided upon the cross ties for this purpose and hence are in constant electrical connection with said cross ties. Y

Each oi the rails L,'G and H is provided with connecting means at its opposite ends by which it may be readily mechanically and electrically connected in track forming relation with aligned rails et adjacent other toy track sections. As an illustration o means for this purpose the drawing herewith shows said rails to be forme( with sockets at their ends and metallic pins 6-G for engaging in saidsockets, said pins being adapted to eX- tend into similar sockets provided in the aligned rails of adjacent other toy track sections.

The track system illustrated in Fig. 1 is made up of a series of toy electric track scctions constructed as thus described, said sections beingconnected together end to end in a well known manner. A source of electrical energy is indicated at 7 with a conductor 8 leading from one side thereof to the third rail of the system, and with a conductor as 9 from its opposite side connected with the two wheel bearing rails of the system, it being noted that although the conductor 9 as shown in Fig. 1 as having direct connection with both of the wheel bearing rails it is usually sufficient to connect said conductor directly with onlyone of said rails, the current being fed to the other whe-cl bearing rail through the several metallic cross ties which provide a metallic bond between the wheel bearing rails as above explained.

In Fig. 1 a signal device to be operated by a passing train is indicated at 10. and the attachment with which the present invention is particularly concerned is indicated by the reference character 11. A conductor 12 eX- tends from a part of the attachment 11 to the signal device 10. and a second conductor as 13 connects the opposite side et the signal device with the third rail H ot the system.

A train is indicated as travelling along the system said train having wheels 14, riding upon the wheel bearing rails L and Gr and having a contact shoe 15 riding upon the third. rail, the shoe being connected to one side of a train propelling motor 16, the opposite side of the motor being mounted upon the frame as 17 of the train and hence upon all of the wheels et the train and upon the vwheel bearing rails L and G.

The propelling circuitfor the train is of the usual type Well known in this art, namely, from source 7 through conductor 8 to the third, or power, rail, through the shoe 15 and motor 16 to ground upon the frame of the train and back to the opposite side of the source through the wheel bearing or ground rails L and Gr.

A shunt circuit through the signal device 10 is closed as soon as one of t-he wheels of the train rides into engagement with the portion 11 of the present attachment, said shunt circuit being in parallel with the train circuit as follows: From sourcec' along the third rail to conductor 13, through the signal device and back, by way of conductor 12, to the portion 11, and thence, by Vway ot thewheel which is in engagement with said portion 11, to ground upon the frame of the train, and back along the wheel bearing rails to the opposite side of the source.

rllhe Vdetailed construction and arrangement of parts of the present attachment may now be readily understood `as follows:

The portion 11 consists 'of a Contact strip which is intended to stand preferably at the inner side'of the track rail G and in such relation thereto as to provide a wedge-shaped channel along which the flange of the car wheel will travel and make contact between the rail and the strip. It will of course be understood that the strip may if desired be shaped to provide a bottom wall as 18 upc 3 which the peripheral portion of the iangcfoii) the wheel could ride. l W wilg Also, if desired, the strip maybfiitiabl'y resilient so that the passage ot thitlange of the car wheel between said strip and the railv will cause the portion of said strip enraged by said flange to be sprung away from the rail. thereby insuring a better rubbing contact between the wheel and the track and strip. f

The contact strip 11 is supported solely bv connectionV with the rail G. The rail is of the usual well known type as in common use heretofore, that is it includes a main or web portion l19 having a tubular bead 20 along its upper edge and having opposite lateral flanges 21-21 extending along its lower edge. and the contact strip is provi ded with extensions as 22-22 which are bent about the flanges 21-21 so as to bind the strip firmly to the rail, there being suitable pieces of insulating material as 23 interposed between the extensions 22 and the rail so that the contact strip is effectively insulated trom said rail.

A rectangular piece of insulating material 24 is arranged beneath the rails G and H and carries two binding posts as 25 and 26, the former being connected by a conductor 27 with one ofthe extensions 22 of the contactstrip and the latter being connected as by a conductor 2S with the tbird7 rail H. The connection between the conductors Cil 27 and 28 may be connected with the contact strip and rail H respectively by any appropriate means but they are preferably soldered thereto as indicated in F lf desired however the extension 22 to which the conductor 27 is connected may be provided with a linger 29 thereon indicated in Fig. 4 adapted to constitute a counterpart of the flange 2l of the rail G suitable to be engaged a manually operable latch member 30 carried by the member 24. In this instance the latch member 30 would be connected with the conductor 27. Also the conductor 28 would be shaped to provide a hook as 3l for engaging about a flange of the third rail so that the member 24, with parts carried thereby, would in that case he, detachable. A regular standard detachable conductor attaching clip of a type well known in the art of toy electric train systems may thus be used to provide the member 24 and the parts carried thereby, as will be readily understood.

As indicated in Fig. t also, the contact strip ll, instead of beine permanently clamped upon the bottom flanges of the rail as above described, may be releasably snapped onto said bottom flanges. That is to say that the contact strip may be made up as an article of manufacture separate and distinct from the electric toy section and may be attached to said section or removed therefrom at will by simply being snapped onto or removed from the flange rail. ln this instance the extensions 22 would each be provided with a wear piece as 32 for engaging the rail flanges, the insulating pieces 23 being interposed and held permanently in posit-ion between the wear piece and the extensions 22. The parts will be shaped. so as to provide relatively hook like portions as 33-33 for engaging about the rail flanges, the parts being' sufficiently resilient to enable the portions 83-33 to yield when being snapped onto or off of the rail flanges, and in this connection it may be noted that the construct-ion of the rail itself is suoli that a space as 84 occurs at the centre of the rail,

.the rail being of a generally U-shaped cross section, so that the flanges 2l-21 thereof are capable of yielding toward each other, thus providing additional means for enabling' the contact strip to be snapped onto or olf of said flanges.

In the structure illustrated in Fig. it is shown that if desired the contact strip may provid-e a tubular bead portion as 85 which will re-inforce and stiifen the contact strip and at its ends will constitute sockets into which connector pins as 36, similar to pins 6, may be inserted. In this instance the contact strip would be extended for the full length of the rail G and whenever it is de' sired to connect together two contact strips of adjacent aligned sections,a connector pin 36 may extend into thesoclrets of the two contact strips for electrically connecting said strips in identically the same manner as the rails themselves are connected by the connector pin 6.

ln the modification Fig. 6 the contact strip ll is shown mounted upon the power rail H, instead of upon the wheel rail G as in Fig. 4, as by means of a spring snap fastener 37. The Contact strip and the snap fastener are insulated from each other by suitable insulating' material as 38, and the snap fastener is adapted to engage about the rail to hold the contact strip in proper association with the rail to enable said contact strip to perform the functions of this invention as hereinbefore clearly set forth with respect to the other figures. suitable member as 39, having' a shoulder 401 thereon, may be electrically and mechanically con'- nected with the Contact strip by which said contactstrip mav be vconveniently electricalf ly connected with the auxiliary device lO.

ln the structures Figs. 'l and 6 the parts and 40 respectivelv constitute means to be engaged bv the conductor attachingclip for convenient attachment to the signal device lO, as illustrated.

After the contact strip has been duly snapped onto the rail G or H then the conductor attaching clip described may be adjusted into position engaging the finger 29 and rail H, or shoulder A0 and rail G, as the case may be, and the auxiliary device l0 may thereafter be connected with the wire terminals and 26, and the device is ready for use.

ln the structure Fig'. 6 the circuit including the contact strip and the device 10 is broken between the contact strip and the rail H and is closed by the motor contact shoe of a passing' train bridging these two elements. rlhe circuit in this instance is traced as follows: power rail H, through Contact shoe to strip ll, binding post 26 to device 10, back to post 25, latch to rail G.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1- l. An attachment for sections, said attachment comprising as one element thereof a contact intended to be engaged by a part of a passing car for controlling an electric circuit, said element including means for readily releasably gripping a single one of the rails of the toy track section to thereby support said element in position toy electric track solely upon said single rail, and said attachment including also a member having a pair of Wire terminals thereon insulated from each other and having attaching means by which to mount said member upon the section and to at the same time complete electrical connection from said terminals respectively to said contact and to a track rail of the section.

2. As an article of manufacture, an electric toy track section intended to be attached to or removed from track forming relation with other electric toy track sections in the uual manner, said section being made up of spaced Wheel bearing rails and an intermediate insulated third rail with cross-tie means by which all of the rails are mechanically connected together for unitary handling, a member mounted upon one of said rails adapted to serve as a contact to be engaged by a part of a passing car for controlling an electric circuit, a connector having two Wire terminals thereon, said contact having means to be releasably engaged by said connector for electrically connecting the contact with one Wire terminal, and means by Which the other Wire terminal may be releasably connected with another rail of the section.

3. As an article of manufacture, an electric toy track section intended to be attached to or removed from track forming relation With other electric toy track sections in the usual manner, said section being made up of spaced Wheel bearing rails and an intermediate insulated third rail with cross-tie means by which all of the rails are mechanically connected together for unitary handling, a

Vmember mounted upon one of said rails adapted to serve as a contact to be engaged by a part of a passing car for controlling an electric circuit, said mentioned rail having a bottom flange, and said contact member being insulated from said rail and having a portion arranged to stand adjacent said flange as a substitute therefor of a character to be releasably engaged by a part of a separately formed connector device adapted for connecting said contact member and another rail in an electric circuit.

Zl. As an article of manufacture, an electric toy track section intended to be attached to or removed from track forming relation With other electric toy track sections in the usual manner, said section being made up of spaced Wheel bearing rails and an intermediate insulated third rail With cross-tie means by which all of the rails are mechanically connected together for unitary handling, a member mounted upon one of said rails adapted to serve as a contact to be engaged by a part of a passing car for controlling an electric circuit, said contact member being connected with said rail by being Wrapped around the bottom flange portion of said rail in insulated relation thereto, and a connector member having a pair of Wire terminals thereon electrically connected one with the portion of the contact member Which is Wrapped around the rail fiange and the other with another one of said rails.

5. As an article of manufacture, an electric toy track section intended to be attached to or removed from track forming relation with other electric toy track sections in the usual manner, said section being made up of spaced Wheel bearing rails and an intermediate insulated third rail with cross-tie means by which all of the rails are mechanically connected together for unitary handling and at least two of the rails having car engaging surfaces electrically continuous throughout the length of the section and insulated from each other so as to be adapted for thev con-- tinuous propulsion of a train over said section, a. memberI comprised'in the section in addition to said rails and said cross-tie means adapted to serve as a contact to-be engaged by a part of a passing car for controlling an electric circuit, and a member mounted upon the section having a pair of Wire terminals thereon insulated from each other and electrically connected respectively With said contact and With one of the rails of the section by the means Which serves to attach said member in supported relation upon the section. y

6. in attachment for toy electric track sections, said attachment comprising a contact intended to be engaged by a part of a passing car for controlling an electric circuit, said attachment including means for readily releasably gripping a single one of the rails of thc toy track section to thereby support the attachment in position solely upon said single rail, and said contact having a finger projecting therefrom for the releasable attachment of a connector connected with another rail of the section.

7. An attachment for toy electric trackage, said attachment comprising a contact intended to be engaged by a part of a passing car for controlling an electric circuit, said attachment f including gripping parts adapted for readily releasably gripping a single one of the rails of the toy trackage to thereby support the attachment in position solely upon said single rail, said attachment comprising a piece of sheet metal having one portion for constituting said contact and having another portion projecting laterally from the contact portion and bent to extend about the fiange part of the rail and c nstitute said gripping parts.v

8. ln a toy electric track section comprising spaced Wheel bearing rails and an intermediate insulated third rail with cross tie means by which all of the rails are mechanically connected together for unitary handling, a contact formed separate from the 'LGO section and d-etachably mounted thereon in position to be engaged by a part of a passing car for controlling an electric circuit, said contact being detachably held in operative positionupon the section by having a siliently yieldable gripping engagement With a single one only of the rails of the section and having a portion constructed and arranged for the ttachment thereto of a detachable connector by which said contact and anotl er part of the section may be electrically connect-ed With a further device.

9. As an article of manufacture, an electric toy track section intended to be attached to or removed from track forming relation with other electric toy track sections in the usual manner, said section being made up of spaced Wheel bearing rails and an intermediate insulated third rail with cross-tie means by which all of the rails are mechanically conneet-ed together for unitary handling, a menber mounted upon one of said rails adapted to serve as a contact to be engaged by a part of a passing car for controlling an electric circuit, said contact member being connected with said rail by being hxed to the bottom flange portion of the rail in insulated relation thereto, and a connector member having a pair of Wire terminals thereon electrically connected one with said contact member and the other with one of said rails.

l0. As an article of manufacture, an electric toy track section intended to be attached to or removed from track forming relation with other electric toy track sections in the usual manner, said section being made up of spaced Wheel bearing rails and an intermediate insulated third rail With cross-tie means by which all of the rails are mechanically connected together for unitary handling, a member mounted upon one of saidV rails adapted to serve as a contact to be engaged by a part of a passing car for controlling an electric circuit, said contact member being connected with said rail by being' made up as a. component part of the bottom iiange portion of th-e rail in insulated relation, and a connector member having a pair of Wire terminals thereon electrically connected with said contact member and the other with one of said rails.

l1. An attachment for toy electric trackage, said attachment comprising a contact part and a connector part, the contact part including a Contact strip and attaching means therefor by which to detachably mount. said contact strip in position to be engaged by a passing car part for controlling an electric circuit, and the connector part including a pair of Wire terminals and a carrying plate therefor and also attaching means by Which to detachably mount the connector part in position Wit-h said Wire terminals electrically connected respectively With the mounted contact strip and with one of the track rails.

l2. An attachment for toy electric trackage, said attachment comprising a contact part and a connector part, the contact part including a contact strip formed With a portion to Which to attach the connector part and also With attaching means by which to detachably mount the contact strip in position to be engaged by a passing car part for controlling an electric circuit, and the connector part including a pair of Wire terminals and a carrying plate therefor and attaching means detachably engageable With one of the track rails and with the mentioned portion of the contact strip effective to electrically connect said Wire terminals respectively with said rail and strip. Y

i3. In toy electric trackage including spaced Wheel bearing rails, a contact member positioned to be engaged by a passing car part, said contact member comprising a strip of metal extending lengthwise along one of the rails and being supported by having a plurality of lateral extensions continuing therefrom into insulated supported connection With said rail at spaced points in the length of said strip and rail.

14. A detachable connector for toy electric railroads, comprising a contact strip, means tov detachably support said contact strip solely upon one rail of the toy track in insulated relation thereto and in position to be engaged by a current carrying part of a car passing along the track, and a detachable clip by which an electrically operable device may be electrically connected With said contact strip and With a rail of the toy track other than that to which the contact strip is connected. Y

l5. A detachable connector for toy electric railroads, comprising a contact strip having springy parts by Which it may be detachably mounted upon one rail of the toy track in position to be engaged by a current carrying part of a car passing along the track, means by Which the contact strip may be insulated from its supporting' rail, and a detachable clip for extending between said contact strip and another rail of the toy track having parts by which an electrically operable device may be electrically connected with said contact strip and With a rail of the toy track other than that torWhich the contact strip is connected.

16. A detachable connector for toy electric railroads, comprising a contact strip, means to detachably support said contact strip solely upon one rail of the toy relation thereto and in yposition to be engaged by a current carrying part of a car passing along the track, and means by which an electrically operable device may be electrically connected With said contact strip and With another rail of the toy track, said last means being made up separate from the Contact strip and its supporting means and including an track in insulated c insulating plate having a pair of wire terminals thereon and having conductors extending from said wire terminals respectively one to engage the contact strip and the other to engage the mentioned other rail.

17. A detachable connector for toy electric railroads comprising a contact strip having opposing spring jaw parts by which it may be detachably snapped ont-oone rail of the toy track in position to be engaged by a current carrying part of a car passing along the track, means by which the contact strip may be insulated from the rail upon which it is snapped, and means by which an electrically operable device may be elect 1ically connected with said contact strip.

18. A toy electric track section including a power rail and two wheel bearing rails spaced from each other in parallel relation and a plurality of cross-ties also spaced from each other and connected with the rails to hold all of said elements in unitary assembly, the power rail being insulated and of opposite polarity rfrom all the other mentioned elements, a contact strip extending parallel with said rails but formed separately and insulated therefrom andv from the crossties and being supported in position to be engaged by a current carrying part of a car passing along the track, and means by which an electrically operable device may be electrically connected with said contact strip and with another rail of the toy track, said last means being made up separate from the contact strip and its supporting means and including an insulating plate having a pair of wire terminals thereon and having conductors extending from said wire terminals respectively one to engage the contact strip and the other to engage an element of the track section having a polarity opposite to that of the mentioned car part.

19. As an article of manufacture, an electric toy track section intended to be attached to or removed from track forming relation with other electric toy track sections in the usual manner, said section being made up of spaced wheel bearing rails and an intermediate insulated third rail with cross-tie means by which all of the rails are mechanically connected together for unitary handling, one of the wheel bearing rails having the usual continuous longitudinally tubular upper portion providing sockets at its opposite ends adapted to receive means byV which said rail may be readily connected in track forming relation with aligned ends of corresponding rails of other toy track sections, and a memberV mounted upon the mentioned wheel bearing rail adapted to serve as a contact to be engaged by the flange of apassing car wheel for controlling a shunt circuit, in parallel with the train circuit, said member being mounted upon said rail by having Vportions gripping around parts of the rail in insulated relation thereto.

20.' ln a toy electric track section having at least one of its rails formed with two portions resiliently movable toward and away from each other, the combination therewith of a separately formed contact member disposed adjacent to said rail in position to be engageabl-.e by a car part passing along said rail lfor thereby controlling an electric circuit,

and said contact member having parts engaging the two mentioned portions of the rail and utilizing the resiliency thereof to hold the contact member detaehably supported in said position upon said rail.

ln testimony whereof I affix my signature.

L. GESSFORD HANDY. 

